Lots of older folks are turning to alternative medicine to help them with the pains of aging – but they don’t necessarily think that’s any of their doctor’s business.
About 40% of older adults use at least one alternative medicine practice to help with body aches or mental strains, be it chiropractic care, massage therapy, meditation, yoga or another non-conventional option, according to the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging.
But only 18% of those who’ve tried an alternative medicine practice have actually talked about it with their health care provider.
The results suggest that primary care docs should bring up the topic during checkups, said Dr. Rachael Maciasz, a general internal medicine physician at Michigan Medicine who worked with the polling team on the report….